All these disinformation messages have been proven false countless times, yet pro-Kremlin outlets keep repeating them – showing again that their purpose is not to inform, but to spread lies, to disinform, mislead, and spread hatred.

The debunks are once again repeated under the individual cases. We highlight here the general underlying strategy behind these fabrications. As documented by historian Timothy Snyder in his book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America, the message denying that Ukraine is a state was spread already by the fascist philosopher Ivan Ilyin in the first half of the 20th century, and was repeated later by top Russian representatives. By 2014, the word “fascist” had became synonymous with “Ukrainians who resisted Russian invasion” (chapter 4).

“Schizofascism was one of many contradictions on display in spring 2014. According to Russian propaganda, Ukrainian society was full of nationalists but not a nation; the Ukrainian state was repressive but did not exist; Russians were forced to speak Ukrainian though there was no such language,” writes Snyder.

The claim that “country XY is not a state anymore” is not new in the Kremlin’s arsenal. In the note of the USSR government to the Polish Ambassador, Foreign Minister Molotov justified the Soviet invasion of Poland with the claim that “the Polish state ceased to exist”.

This time, the disinformation organisations have not yet produced any “counter-evidence”, like faked documents or pictures pushing an alternative version of the story – aswe have seen so often for example in the case of MH17. The defensive lines instead mostly followed two strands: that “The West is blaming Russia for everything bad that happens”; and that “there is no real evidence at all”.

All this messaging shows the clear distinction between real media on one hand, and tools of a disinformation campaign on the other. Whereas real media might make a mistake, but when proven wrong will correct it, the pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets keep deliberately repeating false messages no matter how many times they are presented with the facts.

The US plans to apply sanctions against Georgia

Additional details: By introducing sanctions and taxes against Russia, Iran, Turkey and China the USA declared indirect war to Georgia, as all these countries are Georgia's main trade-economic partners.

There is information that the USA will soon apply these sanctions against the Caucasus ''three'' – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. This policy of USA sanctions against the South Caucasus will not only endanger the region's security and balance, but will also destroy the ''moribund'' economies of Armenia and Georgia. By this America will push once more Georgia and Azerbaijan towards Russia, the Collective Security Treaty and the Eurasian Economic Union with a perspective to resolve the territorial conflicts in Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia simultaneously.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine and the Nazis that is repeated ever since the outbreak of the Euromaidan revolution. https://euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=Ukraine&disinfo_issue=&disinfo_keywords%5B%5D=77101&date=

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of large parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The total number of members of radical groups, e.g. the "Right Sector", never amounted to more than a few hundred to a maximum of a thousand people. The vast majority of the protesters (up to two million at one time nationwide) consisted of peaceful Ukrainian citizens: http://bit.ly/1Tl9X7W.

The insignificance of the "Right Sector" is evident from the election results – their candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections.

There is freedom in Crimea, whereas Ukraine is governed by criminals and terrorists

Additional details: There is absolute freedom in Crimea, Russia has often invited Western delegations to Crimea to demonstrate how calm the situation is on the peninsula.

Ukraine encompassing Crimea does not exist anymore. It was once free and democratic, however, nowadays a group of war criminals have taken power of the country, and they actively use state terrorism as a goal.

According to the Freedom House, Russia used coercion to increase the participation of Crimeans in Russian elections; the Crimean Tatars are being repressed and the Mejlis - an organisation representing the Crimean Tatars - was banned; the Russian FSB use intimidation and harassment to eliminate opposition to Russian occupation; a forced Russification is ongoing (including making anything connected to Ukraine a taboo); and rights to freedom of association are severely restricted: https://bit.ly/2Op9YNH

There is a regular pattern of promoting as official the visits by groups that have no official status and do not represent the government view or have their support.

Additional details: Ukrainian city Dnipro shows strong pro-Russian tendencies, the city literally stands on the threshold of the “Russian world”. 50% of population have changed their pro-Ukrainian views and do not hide their sympathy for Russia, some citizens express support for the USSR.

No evidence given. According to the National Democratic Institute of Ukraine, most residents from central territories, including the Dnipropetrovsk region, consider the influence of Russia to be negative (80%). The poll of the sociological service “Rating” (July 2018) showed that 34% of Dnipro population support the EU and 16% - the Eurasian Customs Union. At the same time, two-thirds of city residents consider Russia an aggressor and 46% of population do not regret the collapse of the USSR.

Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council urged to prepare for war with Russia

Additional details:

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov urged the country to prepare for war with Russia. He believes that Russia allegedly redeploys some mythical military divisions on the border with Ukraine. Kyiv for several years has unreasonably accused Russia of “aggression”.

In fact, Turchynov said that Russia is trying to escalate the situation in the region.

"We can see active attempts to deploy additional military units along the Ukrainian border, and their number is already comparable with those of 2014 when the Russian Federation Council decided to deploys troops [to Crimea and Donbas]. These new units are not simply a demonstration of force. They can be used for active military actions. We should understand and be ready for it", said Turchynov.

Russia's actions in Ukraine are a clear violation of international law. Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter declares without ambiguity that "all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations". UNGA Resolution 68/262 also affirmed the General Assembly's commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and underscored the invalidity of the 2014 Crimean referendum. The UN rejects attempts of Russia or any other state to change the state boarders of Ukraine.

The recent ammo depot explosion in Ukraine was meant to hide evidence on MH17

Additional details: The recent ammo depot explosion near Ichnya, Chernihiv region was meant to hide evidence regarding the presence of Buk missile system in Ukraine. Such explosions can be also hiding arms smuggling into Europe. Also, sources say that there are explosions of phosphorus munitions prohibited by the OPCW.

Deputy commander of the Ukrainian General Staff, Rodyon Tymoshenko, told a news conference the incident began with four explosions across the depot. "The intensity of the blasts suggests that it was most probably sabotage," he said.

Many competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media on MH17. The Joint Investigation Team investigation has meticulously traced the BUK that shot down MH17 on its way from Russia and back. For a full explanation of the findings from the JIT, watch their video where they conclude that the BUK that shot down MH17 came from the Russian Armed Forces. It was transported into pro-Russian separatist controlled area by a Russian convoy. There is forensic and visual evidence, and threeindependentinvestigations have all come to the same conclusion. Meanwhile, Russia used its veto to block a draft resolution to set up an international tribunal into the MH17 air disaster.

Merkel plans to relocate 500,000 migrants to Georgia by the end of 2020

Additional details: It is planned to relocate 500,000 migrants to Georgia by the end of 2020. The Georgian government and the opposition have given their consent to it. The story is illustrated with a picture of Angela Merkel on the background of refugees.

Ukraine is recognised in international law as a sovereign nation state, with its own flag, nationality, language etc. UNGA Resolution 68/262 also affirmed the General Assembly's commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders: http://bit.ly/1RZGnjo.

The protesters on Maidan were killed by Berkut, an elite police force loyal to President Yanukovych, against whom the Ukrainian people protested and who later fled to Russia.

OSCE: The elections marked an important step in Ukraine’s aspirations to consolidate democratic elections in line with its international commitments. There were many positive points to the process, such as an impartial and efficient Central Election Commission, an amply contested election that offered voters real choice, and a general respect for fundamental freedoms https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/132556?download=true

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of large parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The total number of members of radical groups, e.g. the "Right Sector", never amounted to more than a few hundred to a maximum of a thousand people. The vast majority of the protesters (up to two million at one time nationwide) consisted of peaceful Ukrainian citizens: http://bit.ly/1Tl9X7W.

The insignificance of the "Right Sector" is evident from the election results – their candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections.

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of large parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The total number of members of radical groups, e.g. the "Right Sector", never amounted to more than a few hundred to a maximum of a thousand people. The vast majority of the protesters (up to two million at one time nationwide) consisted of peaceful Ukrainian citizens: http://bit.ly/1Tl9X7W.

The insignificance of the "Right Sector" is evident from the election results – their candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections.

"During the Euromaidan this slogan basically lost its particular connection to the OUN and became one of the symbols of the pro-European protests," says Oleksandr Zaitsev, a historian from the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, in a DW article.

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of large parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The total number of members of radical groups, e.g. the "Right Sector", never amounted to more than a few hundred to a maximum of a thousand people. The vast majority of the protesters (up to two million at one time nationwide) consisted of peaceful Ukrainian citizens: http://bit.ly/1Tl9X7W.

The insignificance of the "Right Sector" is evident from the election results – their candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections.

The EU's most recent policy vis-a-vis Russia has been formulated in 2016 in the Five Guiding Principles that include selective engagement with Russia on issues like migration, counter-terrorism, or climate change; or support for Russia's civil society.

In the Foreign Affairs Council 16 April 2018, all the EU Foreign Ministers saw as a key issue to increase EU:s support for Russian citizens, civil society, human rights defenders, people to people contacts, especially with a focus on the youth of the Russian Federation.

There was in fact a clear record of strong cooperation between the EU and Russia, dating back to 1994, when the two sides negotiated a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Russia was identified as a strategic partner for the EU, and was the only country with which the EU held summits not once, but twice a year. A new EU-Russia agreement was being negotiated up until 2014, at which point talks were unfortunately suspended due to Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Negotiations were also in train on visa facilitation. There was also cooperation between the EU and Russia on a number of foreign policy issues, some of which continues to this day. The EU and its Member States have maintained a clear policy of reaching out to Russian society and youth, mainly through the Erasmus+ student exchange programme and other people to people contacts.

NATO consistently worked hard to build a cooperative relationship with Russia since the early 1990s, through the Partnership for Peace and creation of a NATO-Russia Council, and specific cooperation in the Western Balkans on and issues like counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism. In fact, as NATO points out, no other NATO partner has been offered a comparable relationship, nor a similarly comprehensive institutional framework: http://bit.ly/2e0TZnG.

In 1997, Russia was invited to join the G7 group of major advanced economies in the world, thus forming the G8. (At the time, Russia ranked 14th to 17th in the list of countries according to GDP: http://bit.ly/2dWb51l; http://bit.ly/2ejhOpw; http://bit.ly/2dqu4jQ). In 2006, President Putin hosted the G8 summit in Saint Petersburg. Russia's membership of the G8 was suspended in 2014 because of its illegal annexation of Crimea.

Russia joined the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organisation, in 1996.

Additional details: Suddenly, accusations appeared that the two Skripal poisoning suspects are not businessmen Boshirov and Petrov (as was the Russian version), but GRU agents Chepiga and Mishkin. But is there any evidence of that? There is none.

Additional details: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) violated the Chemical Weapons Convention when it agreed with the findings of the British investigation on the Skripal case. Why does Russia need to be a member of international organizations that openly violate Russia's rights or demonstrate open Russophobia?

Bellingcat did not investigate Skripal poisoning and publishes leaks from British intelligence

Additional details: Bellingcat did not investigate Skripal poisoning and, in fact, published leaks from British intelligence.

Bellingcat, just as in the case of the Malaysian "Boeing" shot down in Ukraine, presented as "results of its investigation" materials provided by Western intelligence services. However, there is no investigation of the Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Bellingcat and the Insider provide evidence that both “Alexander Petrov” and “Ruslan Boshirov” are active GRU officers. This conclusion is based both on objective data and on discussions with confidential Russian sources familiar with the identity of either one of the two persons.

Bellingcat can confirm the authenticity of the leaked passport file of “Boshirov”, and that it contains all three markings that helped identify “Petrov” as a security-service asset: “Top Secret” annotations, a blank biographical page referring to a secret attached letter, a “do not provide information” stamp, and issuing authority unit 777001, exclusively used for state VIPs and intelligence officers. In addition, “Boshirov” also has no recorded history prior to the issuance of his domestic ID passport in 2010 (2009 in “Petrov”’s case). See further debunking by the Bellingcat.

Additional details: Soviet Union and its last leader Mikhail Gorbachev ignored the rights of 16 million East German citizens when he agreed to the German reunification treaty. As a result, these people became - and still remain - second-rate citizens.

The proportion of people who want friendship between Russia and Ukraine remained the same over the past 10 years

Additional details: The proportion of people who want friendship between Russia and Ukraine remained the same over the past 10 years. This is despite a campaign of anti-Russian propaganda in Ukraine and numerous infringements of Russian speakers’ rights which have been taking place since 2014. According to polls made by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) and Russia’s independent Levada Center, 48% of Ukrainians now view Russia in a positive light, up from 37% last year. By contrast, 32% of Ukrainians view Russians negatively, down from 46% in 2017.

Vladimir Paniotto, director general of KIIS, described RT’s analysis as a “strange mixture of real data with some fantasy,” adding he “couldn’t understood” where they had taken their figures from.

"After [Russia’s annexation of] Crimea we had a dramatic drop of positive attitudes to Russia, from 85% in 2013 to 30% (in May 2015). In 2008, only 10% of Ukrainians wanted closed borders with Russia. In December 2014 [that figure was] 50% and now [it’s] about 40% (38%),” Paniotto said for Polygraph.info.

Additional details:TV channel Russia 1 exposed the lies of U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker. He posted a picture of a woman allegedly shelled by "Donetsk People's Republic", whereas in fact she is shelled by Ukrainian army.

In fact, Volker's tweet does not mention "shelling" launched by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. He says: "These are some of the many victims of Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine. We can stop the suffering if Russia was willing to choose #peace4Ukraine". The Russian journalist mistranslated the tweet when interviewing the old woman.

Whereas it is not clear whose shelling had hit the woman's house, it is clear whose aggression caused the situation in Ukraine - which is confirmed by International Criminal Court, or PACE.

The photo published by Volker is part of the photojournalist Paula Bronstein's project about the elderly from both sides of the line of demarcation:both in the occupied territories and those controlled Ukraine.

The GRU duo went to Czech Republic not to follow Skripal, but to track Novichok, which the Czechs used to have

Additional details: Suspected poisoners Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov went to the Czech Republic when Skripal could have been there. The British say they were tracking him - but maybe they were tracking the Novichok nerve agent, which Porton Down and the Czechs had.

Background:
Anatoly Chepiga and Aleksandr Mishkin (alleged Ruslan Boshirov and Aleksandr Petrov) visited Czech Republic in 2014 when Skripal was there as well. "It looks like the Russians had a group of people that followed Skripal long before the attempt to assassinate him," the publicly funded Czech radio station quoted one source as saying. See the English rereading of the Czech Radio report here.

The supposed GRU agents arrested in the Netherlands were actually mere IT experts

Additional details: In the Netherlands, the supposed GRU agents arrested outside the OPCW HQ were actually IT experts. They were checking the security of the Russian embassy's communications, which had been bugged. That they were by the OPCW building is coincidence - the Russian embassy is just across the road.

Additional details: George Soros is planning a colour revolution in the US. He has been financing destabilising and revolutionary movements aimed at overthrowing governments. He played a major role in the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, in the organisation and financing of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, and in the Euromaidan in 2014.

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of large parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.

Similarly, the previous revolution in Ukraine and the Georgian revolution were driven by the desire of the people, as confirmed in subsequent elections.

Additional details: US asked the EU authorities to "turn a blind eye" to the migrants' crimes, which turned the streets of Europe into Sodom and Gomorrah. The migration crisis was part of a George Soros' plan, who wants to deprive countries of their sovereignty, legalize same-sex marriages and change the demographic composition of the EU.

Additional details:[Context: Trident Juncture 2018] Finland started a very close cooperation with NATO, as Helsinki claims a certain piece of territory in the Arctic. Therefore Finland has an economic interest in this case.

NATO and Finland actively cooperate in peace-support operations and have developed practical cooperation in many other areas. Finland has no territorial claims in the Arctic.

Finland’s foreign and EU policy in the Arctic region is based on the cooperation conducted in the EU, the Arctic Council and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council as well as within the Northern Dimension Partnerships. The objectives of Finland's arctic policy are:

Additional details: When we say 'schism', we all speak not of the Church schism per se, but of the schism in the Ukrainian society, the schism in the Russian world, which Ukraine is a part of, if you will.

Additional details: EU will change the political regime in the UK to annoy the US. The EU leaders have a lot of complaints against the US, so they try to use Brexit to punish the "main US ally in Europe" - the UK.

Additional details: Europe is dying. Europe will be destroyed by an army of a million of migrant militants stationed in underground cities. Germany confiscates private homes to use for migrants.

The Europeans became amorphous consumers who are not capable of resistance, they behave like a livestock. The process of destruction of morality and family values in Europe has already reached a critical “point of no return”.

Additional details: A monument to the Soviet Soldier-Liberator has been demolished in Lithuania. This monument - a huge boulder on which the face of a Red Army soldier was carved - was installed over 30 years ago. The local authorities decided to definitely dismantle it within the framework of a so-called decommunization policy.

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about soviet monuments being dismantled all over Europe.

In fact, the monument mentioned by Russian media is not demolished, but transferred to the Grutas sculpture park (50 km from the monument’s original location), where Soviet-era monuments are exposed. According to The Insider, the author of the memorial, the sculptor Vladas Krušna, who died in 2014, himself proposed to transfer the sculpture to Grutas Park.

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Disclaimer

The Disinformation Review focuses on key messages carried in the international information space, which have been identified as providing a partial, distorted or false view or interpretation and spreading key pro-Kremlin messaging. It does not necessarily imply, however, that the outlet concerned is linked to the Kremlin or pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. The Review analyses messages, not the messenger. If the message is a) false, which is determined by the facts and b) originating and/or in line with identified pro-Kremlin disinformation messaging, it is included in the product. The Review is a compilation of cases from the East Stratcom Task Force’s wide network of contributors and is therefore not considered an official EU position. Likewise, the news articles are based on the analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force, so information and opinions expressed are not considered an official EU position. Have you found a mistake? Give us your feedback below or send us an e-mail.

Disclaimer

The Disinformation Review focuses on key messages carried in the international information space, which have been identified as providing a partial, distorted or false view or interpretation and spreading key pro-Kremlin messaging. It does not necessarily imply, however, that the outlet concerned is linked to the Kremlin or pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. The Review is a compilation of cases from the East Stratcom Task Force’s wide network of contributors and is therefore not considered an official EU position. Likewise, the news articles are based on the analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force, so information and opinions expressed are not considered an official EU position.